Chic and Cheap in Antwerp

From left, industrial-chic décor in the lounge at Lux and in the dining room.

(Photo: Jan Dirkx; Courtesy of Lux)

Lux offers one of the Flanders region's best and most expensive dinners, but you can sample chef Bert Zaman’s food with the $30 prix fixe lunch and comped glass of wine. Housed in a former Polish Shipping Company’s warehouse in the gentrifying Docklands neighborhood, the grand space has Belgian marble and rich wood paneling, a design that kicked off Antwerp’s industrial-chic revival in 2003.

You can see the Muntplein, a dedicated street-art space, from the giant picture window of the casual, new Brasserie Populaire (Sint Paulusplaats 011-32-32-34-17-97 ). Gnaw on cheap, overstuffed Flemish sandwiches and pasta ($6–$13) while admiring the work of local graffiti artists like Apetown. There’s a terrace, too, but the spray-paint fumes can be a hazard.

Just east of a trendy strip of Pan-Asian lounges in Docklands is Muro Turks Eethuis, a relaxing and recently refurbished grill that whips up Anatolian specialties like ground-lamb-stuffed eggplant, chicken pitas, and crispy Turkish pizzas. The Turkish staff doesn’t speak much English, but they mix stiff drinks and are eager to please.